How to Turn Content Into Clients

July 5, 2025

Read Time: 6 minutes

I used to think content was about going viral.

Clever hooks. Trending topics. Maximum engagement.

I spent months crafting posts that got thousands of likes and hundreds of comments.

But when I looked at my bank account, something was wrong.

Lots of engagement. Zero sales.

That's when I realized I was optimizing for the wrong metric.

I wasn't building an audience.

I was building a fan club.

The Day I Stopped Chasing Likes

It happened after a particularly "successful" post.

10,000 likes. 500 comments. Shared across multiple platforms.

I felt like I had "made it" as a content creator.

Then I checked my email. Zero inquiries.

That same week, I posted something different. Behind-the-scenes of a client struggling and all the testing and iterating we did to overcome their challenge.

47 likes. 12 comments.

But 3 people reached out wanting to work with me.

That's when it hit me: Engagement doesn't equal income.

Relationship building does.

The Parasocial Advantage

Here's what most entrepreneurs miss about content:

Your goal isn't to entertain people. It's to help them build a relationship with you autonomously.

What Parasocial Relationships Do: • Allow people to "know" you without meeting you • Build trust through consistent value delivery • Create buying readiness before you ever make an offer • Enable people to sell themselves on working with you

When someone consumes your content for 30 days, they don't feel like they're buying from a stranger.

They feel like they're hiring someone they already know and trust.

The Trust-Building Formula

Building trust at scale comes down to three psychological principles:

Principle 1: Frequency and Reach People need to see you everywhere. YouTube, newsletters, social media, ads.

The more platforms they encounter you on, the more "real" you become in their mind.

Principle 2: Value Delivery Your free content must deliver actual results, not just information.

When someone implements your free advice and gets a win, trust skyrockets.

Principle 3: Authentic Vulnerability Perfect people are inspiring. Real people are relatable.

Your failures and struggles make you human. Your successes make you credible.

The Content Mix That Converts

Not all content is created equal. Here's what actually builds buying relationships:

Stories (40% of content) • Personal failures and how you overcame them • Client transformation stories • Behind-the-scenes moments • The journey, not just the destination

Educational Content (40% of content) • Actionable strategies they can implement immediately • Case studies with specific tactics • Frameworks and systems • "How I did X" breakdowns

Behind-the-Scenes Insights (20% of content) • What's working in your business right now • What's not working and why • Industry observations • Contrarian takes based on experience

The Magic: Layer stories into everything. Even educational content needs narrative.

The key insight: A post with 3 likes that generates a client is infinitely more valuable than a post with 3,000 likes that generates nothing.

The Expert vs. Relatable Balance

Here's the secret: Being an expert doesn't mean having all the answers.

It means being ahead of where your audience is.

How to Show Expertise: • Share specific results and outcomes • Demonstrate deep knowledge of your niche • Provide frameworks and systems • Show the "why" behind your advice

How to Stay Relatable: • Share your failures and mistakes • Show your learning process • Admit when you don't know something • Tell stories from when you were where they are now

The best experts are relatable through the stories they tell about their past.

The 30-Day Nurture Strategy

Here's how to structure content that builds relationships over time:

Week 1: Introduction and Context • Welcome story • Your background and journey • What you help people achieve • Set expectations for the relationship

Week 2-3: Value and Proof • Case studies and client wins • Actionable strategies and tactics • Quick wins they can implement • Behind-the-scenes insights

Week 4: Deeper Connection • More personal stories • Your philosophy and approach • Common mistakes and how to avoid them • Preparation for potential partnership

The Goal: By day 30, they should feel like they know you personally and trust your ability to help them.

The Platform Trifecta

Focus your efforts on the three platforms that actually build businesses:

YouTube (Best for deep relationships) • Long-form content allows for storytelling • Visual connection builds stronger bonds • Algorithm rewards consistent creators • Searchable content provides ongoing value (check out mine here 👍)

Email (Best for direct communication) • Feels personal and intimate • You control the relationship • Higher conversion rates • Direct line to your audience

Paid Ads (Best for scale) • Brings new people into your world • Targets specific audiences • Accelerates relationship building • Predictable growth

Everything else is a distraction from these three core channels.

The Biggest Content Mistakes

I've watched entrepreneurs sabotage their own relationship building:

Mistake #1: Copying Others They steal stories and experiences instead of sharing their own.

Mistake #2: Fear of Vulnerability They only show successes, never struggles or failures.

Mistake #3: Chasing Engagement They optimize for likes and comments instead of conversions.

Mistake #4: Being Too Polished They create "perfect" content that feels inauthentic.

The Fix: Be authentically you. Share your real experiences. Focus on helping, not impressing.

The Natural Transition

When you build relationships correctly, selling doesn't feel like selling.

People already know: • What you do • Who you help • How you help them • What results you deliver

When they're ready, they come to you.

There's no awkward transition from "content creator" to "salesperson" because they've always known you help people like them.

The buying decision becomes natural, not forced.

The Compound Effect

Relationship building through content follows the proven marketing principle that people need multiple touchpoints across different platforms before they're ready to buy.

• 1-7 touchpoints: Building awareness (they know you exist)

• 8-15 touchpoints: Establishing trust (they believe you can help)

• 16+ touchpoints: Creating buying readiness (they're ready to invest)

You can't measure the ROI of a single piece of content.

But you can measure the ROI of consistent relationship building across multiple channels.

Next week, I'll show you exactly how to systematize your content creation so you can build these relationships at scale without burning out—including the tools, templates, and workflows that create months of content in hours.

But for now, ask yourself:

🎯 Is your content building relationships or just getting likes?

🎯 What would happen if strangers trusted you enough to buy without a sales call?

Your answers determine whether you're building a business or just a personal brand.

See you next week,

– Andrew

P.S. What's your biggest challenge with content creation? Reply and let me know—I read every response and use them to create content that solves your specific problems.

P.P.S. I'm looking for a couple more people to take on in my one-on-one coaching. Reply with 'INTERESTED' and let's see if you're a good fit.